Question NW1303 to the Minister of Home Affairs
22 May 2018 - NW1303
Mkhaliphi, Ms HO to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(a) What is the total number of instances that his department issued a South African passport on the same day the application was made for a non-governmental official in the past five years and (b) what was the urgency for issuing the passport in each instance?
Reply:
a) 144
b) The department through its Front Offices receives passport applications and urgent issuance requests as citizens submit their applications. There are a number of reasons advanced by various citizens who seek urgent assistance by the department. However, there is no recording of these requests which details the reasons for these outcries. Generally, the following examples can be indicated as reasons for urgent requests:
- While the citizen was processing his or her travel with the airline and Immigration Services at the airport he or she was told you need to have more than two pages left on the passport in order to travel with a passport.
- A citizen only realised in the morning of travel that the passport was missing.
- A citizen only realised in the morning of travel that the passport has been erroneously cancelled on the system while valid for another few years.
- A citizen lost his or her passport a night before or on the day of travel. A citizen is a business person who is involved in international engagements and has a trip to undertake but cannot find or has misplaced the passport.
- A citizen has just received an emergency that involves a relative who needs support or to be brought back from outside the borders of the Republic.
Amongst the greater concerns from citizens on issues raised as demand for immediate travel, is financial commitments as well as financial loss implications should they fail to travel under the circumstances.